Of Mice and Men Ch. 6 Study Guide

Transcription

1 Of Mice and Men Ch. 6 Study Guide Vocabulary Warm Up Read the words in the first set of sentences and try to figure out the meaning of the highlighted words. Then use those highlighted words to fill in the blanks in the second set of sentences. 1. Andrew s tooth hurt so much that he moaned aloud with pain. (p. 101) 2. Sharon felt real grief when she learned of her co-worker s death. (p. 101) 3. The teacher s voice was so monotonous and unexpressive that students fell asleep during his lectures. (p. 103) 4. Daniel s new boss put a strong emphasis on improving customer service at the company. (p. 103) 5. Patricia craftily arranged the pieces of cake so that she could have the biggest one. (p. 104) a. Although the job at the factory paid well, running the same machine all day long, day after day, was so and boring that Jane quit after only several weeks. b. Martine told the students to be on time for the exam and added with that they wouldn t be able to take the exam if they came late. c. The students loudly when they heard they would have a test on Friday. d. Tom managed the meeting so that he persuaded everyone to accept his proposal even though they didn t really understand it. e. When Paul realized how much he had hurt his parents, he was full of. Specialized Vocabulary fambly (p.104) - family, this is an example of Steinbeck spelling a word the way it is pronounced by a character Before You Read Looking Ahead. Things are going badly for George and Lennie. Lennie is in trouble and is almost completely helpless without George to protect him. What should George do? Write down some advice for George. When you have finished, discuss what you have written with your classmates. What is the best advice for George? Snyder Ramirez

2 READ the entire chapter. Questions: 1. What does Lennie imagine while he is waiting for George? 2. How does George resolve the problems he and Lennie face? Why does he make this choice? 3. What does Slim tell George at the end of the book and why? After You Read Taking a Closer Look Look at What They Said. Match the following quotations with the people who said them. Then put them in chronological order. Aunt Clara Carlson George Lennie Slim the rabbit # Character Ain t you gonna give me hell? Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin them two guys? Ever body gonna be nice to you. Ain t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from em. He won t do nothing like that. I know George. Me an him travels together. Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place. I ain t mad. I never been mad, an I ain t now. That s a thing I want ya to know. I tol you. Min George because he s such a nice fella an good to you. But you don t never take no care. You do bad things. Le s do it now. Le s get that place now. Well he s sick of you. He s gonna beat hell outa you an then go away an leave you. You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Snyder Ramirez

3 For Discussion and Reflection 1. Were you surprised by what happened in this chapter? Why or why not? 2. What might have happened if George had been able to prevent Curley from killing Lennie? 3. Do you think George did the right thing? Do think he will feel guilty for what he did? What were George s alternatives? Was there any way he could have prevented what happened? 4. What was Slim s role in the death of Lennie? 5. Did George and Lennie ever have a chance of getting their farm? Or were they predestined for tragedy? 6. How did you feel about the characters at the beginning of the book? Did your feelings change as you read the book? Why? 7. Did the book end the way you expected? Why or why not? Did you like the way it ended? Would you change anything about the way it ended? What? 8. Steinbeck wanted to show the everyday world of ordinary working people. How did he do that? Do you think he did a good job? 9. What was your first reaction to the book? How did this change as you went through the book? 10. Is Of Mice and Men an optimistic or pessimistic book? 11. Is Steinbeck s attempt to show the pain of loneliness convincing? 12. What is Steinbeck saying about the possibility of companionship in this world? 13. How does the relationship between George and Lennie demonstrate the possibilities and limitations of humans? 14. What did Lennie contribute to George s life? What will happen to George now and how will his life change? 15. What is the significance of Carlson s statement at the very end of the book? 16. At the end of Chapter 6, Slim takes George to get a drink. What do you imagine the two of them talked about while they were having that drink? 17. The play version of Of Mice and Men ends immediately after Lennie s death. The novel has a short scene that takes place after Lennie s death. Why was this change made? Which ending do you think is better? Why? Snyder Ramirez

4 Focus on Literary Concepts: Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a hint in a story that gives the reader a sign or a hint of something that will happen later in the story. Steinbeck uses a lot of foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men. In fact, some people think that he uses too much foreshadowing. What do you think? Putting Ideas Into Practice A. Find the Foreshadowing. Work with a group of your classmates and find as many examples of foreshadowing as possible from the novel. Compare your examples with other groups examples. Chapter Example of Foreshadowing Snyder Ramirez

5 B. Discussion. Discuss the following questions with your classmates. 1. Did you notice or understand any of the foreshadowing while you were reading the book? If so, what? Did it affect the way you understood or enjoyed the book? 2. Do you think that Steinbeck used too much foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men? Focus on Social Issues Mercy Killing In a surprising and perhaps shocking ending to the novel, George takes Lennie s life in order to save Lennie from being locked up in an institution or being shot by Curley. Did George act out of love for Lennie or out of self-interest? Was George s action morally right or morally wrong? Your answer to these questions undoubtedly depends on what you think about the controversial issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Euthanasia is the act of painlessly putting to death someone who is suffering from a terminal illness or incurable condition. In assisted suicide, a person with a terminal illness or incurable takes his or her own life but does receive some assistance from another person, such as a doctor. Supporters of euthanasia and assisted suicide say these are acts of mercy to suffering people. Opponents believe that humans do not have the right to play God in this way and also worry about the ways in which euthanasia and assisted suicide might potentially be abused by society. For Discussion and Reflection 1. Do you think it is ever right to take the life of another person? Under what circumstances, if any? 2. How far should doctors go to keep dying people alive as long as possible? 3. Do you think that people should have the right to have doctors help them take their own lives? Under what circumstances, if any? Setting The term setting refers to the time and place that a story takes place. Time includes any important aspect of time, such as time in history, time of year, time of day, and the length or duration of the action in the story. Similarly, place can be thought of in large terms, such as country or region, or in small terms, such as a clearing by a river or a bunkhouse. 1. What role does setting play in Of Mice and Men? Is it a main part of the story? Is it unimportant to the story? 2. Could you change any part of the setting without significantly changing the story? If you changed the setting, how would the story change? 3. Would it be possible to change the setting from the early 20th century to the early 21st century? How would the story change? 4. Would it be possible to change the setting from the United States to another country? How would the story change? Snyder Ramirez

6 After You Read the Novel Reviewing the Novel Looking for Patterns. An important part of George and Lennie s story is their dream of owning their own farm. If you look back at the events in the story, you will find that in the first chapters of the book things happen which move George and Lennie closer to their dream. In the last chapters of the book, things happen which move them further away from their dream. 1. Work with one or two classmates and together think of and list the important events in the appropriate columns below. Events That Move Lennie and George Closer to Achieving Their Dream Events That Move Lennie and George Further Away from Achieving Their Dream 2. Which of these events is the turning point? In other words, exactly where in the story does the dream stop moving closer and start moving further out of George and Lennie s reach? Circle the event which you believe is the turning point in the story. Snyder Ramirez